Tayvallich Initiative invited contractors to tender for two projects and, with the breadth of skills to complete the full suite of work, Glic was awarded both.

Glic managed a team of specialists and collaborated with Tayvallich residents to conduct housing feasibility and land management studies that would contribute to a business plan for community land ownership.

Project 1: Housing feasibility study

Glic collaborated with the community to produce a housing needs assessment that was specific to their needs while still accounting for standard questions. Despite working over the festive season and to a restricted deadline, the views of two-thirds of the population were captured.

Simultaneously, Glic appointed John Renshaw Architects to conduct topographical surveys and site visits. With these findings, Glic researched and produced operational models for the potential housing, calculating the income possibilities along with the costs and payback periods.

Results of the assessment and the architect’s designs were presented at a consultation day in Tayvallich where Glic gathered feedback from the community on the discrete options produced for the different land parcels.

Glic compiled the options, designs, feedback and operational models for housing and finance into reports for Tayvallich Initiative, and then worked collaboratively with the client to write a successful application for the Scottish Land Fund.

Project 2: Environmental land management scoping study and outline business plan

Priorities for several plots of Tayvallich Estate were explored through a land management study. Having consulted with the community to understand their values and aspirations, we worked to establish how the land could be utilised in ways supportive of the residents and wildlife on the SSSI protected sites that comprise the area.

We explored carbon sequestration as a potential future opportunity, with high-value natural assets in the region that could be identified for local carbon trading. A renewables specialist was also consulted to explore outputs for the energy produced on the land and potential returns for the community.

Glic appraised each land parcel and the options around housing, growing and woodland in the area. Working from reports by environmental specialists at Heart of Argyll Wildlife, we identified the opportunities, cautions and costs associated with each plot, and presented these to the client alongside funding options and case studies of similar successes.

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The final business plan produced by Glic identified various outputs to create community sustainability, including the delivery of national, regional and local strategies; construction or renovation of local housing; restoration and diversification of local flora and fauna; and the establishment of new businesses and a community energy scheme.

As opportunities for community land ownership expand, Tayvallich’s aspirations along with the scale, ambition and impact of the project has potential to become an exemplar for rural communities across Scotland and the UK.